In news from the Inevitable Desk...
"TAIPEI 台北 (Kyōdō News 共同通信社) - China displaced Japan as the largest of source of visitors to Taiwan in 2010, with the number of travelers from the country rising 68 percent from the previous year to 1,630,735, according to government data released Tuesday. Japanese travelers to Taiwan totaled 1,080,153 in 2010, the Taiwanese Ministry of Transportation and Communications said. The number of Chinese visitors to Taiwan for both tourism and business purposes has risen dramatically since the ban on visitors from China was partially lifted in July 2008 after improvement in bilateral ties. In 2009, the number of Chinese visitors to Taiwan shot up to 970,000, three times the figure the previous year."
Back in July of last year, the Tourism Bureau here reported that Chinese visitors were outspending their Japanese counterparts as well while in Taiwan:
"The average amount spent by Chinese tourists was US$115.30 (¥9592/NT3413 at current rates) while Japanese visitors spent US$100.88 (¥8393/NT2986). According to (a) survey, while Chinese tourists preferred to purchase local specialty items, jewelry/jade and clothing, Japanese tourists preferred local specialty item products, clothing and tea, respectively."
On the other hand, the bureau also noted that:
"Japanese tourists spent the most on accommodation and food, spending an average of NT$10,000 ($340/¥28,000) per day in these areas, which was 35 percent more than tourists from China. According to the report, one million Japanese tourists visited Taiwan last year, which was a drop off of approximately 8 percent from 2008. Japanese tourists still contributed the most foreign income to Taiwan’s economy, accounting for a total of NT$60 billion ($2.03 billion/¥168.6 billion), the report showed. Chinese tourists were listed as second, with 970,000 visiting Taiwan, almost double the number in 2008, bringing in approximately NT$51 billion ($1.7/¥143.3 billion)."
And, in an unintentional warning as to what lies in store for this island now that the Age of ECFA has dawned, there was this interesting notation:
"The bureau’s statistics showed that after the decision two years ago to allow Chinese tourists to travel to Taiwan, the increase in Chinese tourists has corresponded to a drop in the overall amount of money spent by tourists in Taiwan. The bureau said that with the increase in the number of Chinese tourists to Taiwan, the influence of their expenditures on Taiwan’s economy has increased." (http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2010/07/17/2003478137)
Things that make you go "Hmmm"...
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